Uptown streetcar suspensions, lane shifts begin

Lane shifts and streetcar suspensions began Monday as work continues on the massive Uptown drainage project.

Beginning Monday, The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New Orleans District and its contractors will temporarily shift travel lanes on St. Charles Avenue for work related to the Southeast Louisiana Drainage Project (SELA).

The Corps and its contractors will construct underground box culverts at the intersections of Louisiana, Napoleon and Jefferson avenues on St. Charles Ave.

During the three-month construction effort, one travel lane in each direction will be shifted on St. Charles Ave. and Louisiana and Napoleon avenues to accommodate construction. The northbound lane on Jefferson Ave. at St. Charles Ave. will be intermittently closed and shifted to accommodate construction.

Streetcars have been replaced by buses on a portion of St. Charles Avenue.

Streetcar riders coming from Uptown have to get off at Webster then get onto a bus. Riders can get back on the streetcar around Erato. Only buses will be serving the area in between.

The work started during the summer months because school is out. Officials hope it will lessen the impact on traffic.

However, others are skeptical. One streetcar rider described what she thinks it will look like.

“A disaster,” Seretha Guilford said. “I really want to say other words but a disaster simple as that. You're just going to leave early which I always do because you never know what's going to happen. Leave earlier.”

Violent crime across the nation increased for a second consecutive year. The FBI’s annual report on national crime statistics show more than 17-thousand people were murdered in the U.S. last year. That’s an 8.6 percent increase from 2015.

Violent crime across the nation increased for a second consecutive year. The FBI’s annual report on national crime statistics show more than 17-thousand people were murdered in the U.S. last year. That’s an 8.6 percent increase from 2015.

A man was arrested for allegedly raping a girl six times since she was 11-years-old. Kenner Police Department arrested Junior Reyes, 24, on Sunday and charged him with six counts of the crime of second-degree rape.

A man was arrested for allegedly raping a girl six times since she was 11-years-old. Kenner Police Department arrested Junior Reyes, 24, on Sunday and charged him with six counts of the crime of second-degree rape.